DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA - Sing-Along Songs For The Damned And Delirious

Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs For The Damned And Delirious

10 songs
48:17 minutes
***** *****
Ascendance

Bandpage

Both band name and album cover are bizarre, which explains why I was really looking forward to check out this CD, waiting for what would expect me. The info sheet furthermore helped to increase the tension. Diablo Swing Orchestra are a Swedish avant-garde metal band that was founded in 2003, and their debut The Butcher’s Ballroom already sounded quite insane two years ago.

Like on the predecessor, the six musicians have done nothing wrong and were able to catch my attention for the first to the last note. Once again totally different styles are merged seemingly in a haphazard way, even if symphonic metal and vocalist Annlouice Loeglung’s soprano voice are indicating the general direction. But there are also tex-mex trumpet parts, swing, blues, jazz, rock, folk and electronica, creating a wondrous sonic world that at times lets you feel like inside a Broadway musical. Next to the high voices, there are also normal vocal lines that are often accompanied by a male singer. The mood is changing quite often, bringing you from a gloomy film noir soundtrack to the opera, before the journey goes on to Russia where you are teleported to Mexico. There is a sufficient number of hectic moments, bordering sometimes close to confusion. Lucy Fears The Morning Star for instance gives the impression of a backwards running record, although I didn’t discern any Satanic messages. Only Memoirs Of A Roadkill is somewhat more relaxed and comes with a groove, but otherwise it’s metal that’s setting the course, giving the songs a welcome straightforward momentum. Symphonic metal fans should be the target audience of Diablo Swing Orchestra, but friends of contemporary sounds that are open for anything will also get sheer pleasure from this album.

Diablo Swing Orchestra seem to be out of their minds. They don’t care about stylistic limitation and just do what they like, as long as it sounds unusual. Their audacity is absolutely laudable, leaving me no choice but to hand out a rare maximum rating!

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